05.01.21 Part 5 of Gossip at JuaLink Media Agency

Faraja Discloses her Desperate Search for a Child

Neema recalls the day that Faraja could not attend a departmental meeting, revealing to her and Lulu that the publicity manager had a checkup with a gynaecologist, having been married for seven years with no child on the horizon. But no sooner had she left than Lulu called Obed with the ‘hot’ news. “Faraja is barren... The woman must have committed several abortions...” she exclaimed, saying that Obed should organise a Pro-Life Seminar to warn employees about the dangers of abortions. But it was almost at that point that Faraja reappeared, prompting Lulu to abruptly change the topic. However, that afternoon, the publicity officer shared Faraja’s plight at the ‘lunch hour’ fellowship. The general view from the congregants was that Faraja should repent for having committed those abortions or else her prayers will keep bouncing back…!” The only member who challenged those allegations was a woman named Sarah.

During the Pro-Life Seminar held a few weeks thereafter, Obed made sure that the presenter dwelt on abortions as the cause of infertility, after which Lulu circulated the news of Faraja’s barrenness at JuaLink. So, it was not long before the caustic rumour hit Faraja’s ears. Her first reaction was to summon Neema who revealed that it was Lulu that had disseminated that information. That was when the publicity manager confronted Lulu, demanding an explanation for the defamatory rumour that the publicity officer had fabricated. “Ehhh! I was just trying to be helpful since those ‘Pro-Life’ guys assisted my neighbour to conceive”, Lulu had retaliated arrogantly. Subsequently, a defiant Lulu had switched into higher gear by posting a plaque on her facebook page which read: ‘Why should a barren woman tear a mother of twins to pieces?’ Afterwards, she shared pictures of her twins on JuaLink’s WhatsApp group.

That night, Faraja could hardly pray, let alone sleep. Her husband, Matayo, had to practically comfort her until the wee hours of the morning. “This publicity officer is giving you headaches babe…, have you alerted your boss?”, he asked with deep concern. Faraja relayed how she had reported Lulu’s behaviour to Director Eliya and how the publicity officer had defensively alleged that Faraja was victimising her. Plus, the few management meetings where Faraja had ventured to complain about Lulu’s gossiping habits, the general view was that ‘Lulu was born that way; and that people should just accept her’; after which Obed and Njia would promptly update the publicity officer.

Thereafter, a tired Faraja took a radical decision to ignore Lulu and focus on mentoring Neema. However, that did not go well with Lulu who opted to drive the two women against each other by repeatedly reporting Neema’s petty mistakes to Faraja; and at the same time mudslinging the manager before Neema. “My dear! That woman is a people-user. Soon she will be biasing Eliya against you!”, Lulu would persistently say.

That was when it dawned on Neema that she would not be able to sustain a close friendship with Lulu and her counterparts while bearing allegiance to her boss, Faraja, at the one and the same time. From then on, Neema decided to distance herself from the publicity officer and the gossip clique; and to withdraw from the lunch hour fellowship altogether.